Monkeys? Seriously?
by singingisfun
Summary: The wicked witch has sent her monkeys to kidnap Hook. Captain Swan. Outlaw Queen.


Emma had learned in the past couple of years that most of the fairy tales she heard as a child were wrong. Peter Pan was a bloody demon… the Beast was also Rumplestiltskin… and Prince Charming was the son of a farmer…

She could deal with all of that. Well, at least, she _had_ dealt with all of that.

But, seriously? Seriously?

- The one thing they got _right_ was flying monkeys? Of ALL the things to get right! The Wicked Witch had _flying monkeys!_ This can't be her life.

Emma was walking through the village with Henry and Roland when the warning bell rang out. "They're coming!" she heard Grumpy yell from the parapet.

Emma looked to the sky and dropped the basket of apples she was carrying. Sure enough, she could see a swarm of them heading toward the castle.

"Henry, get inside! Roland, come here!" She picked the toddler up and chased after Henry. They ran into the blacksmith shop. Emma frantically surveyed the establishment hoping to find a good place to hide the boys.

"Over there," she motioned to Henry and headed for the back of the room. She put Roland down in the corner and Henry joined him. "Henry, you stay here with Roland. Be as quiet as possible. I'll come get you when the attack is over."

"But, Mom – " Henry began.

"No, Henry. Someone has to stay with Roland." She tried to give them a smile but she knew it was tight. She ran her hand over both of their cheeks and added, "Don't worry. Everything is going to be fine." She looked around and found a sword on a table nearby, handed it to Henry. Then, she pushed a heavy cabinet in front of them to hide them.

She turned, drawing her own sword, and ran toward the castle.

When she arrived the attack was already in full swing. Regina was throwing fireballs… Mary Margaret and Robin were shooting off arrows in rapid succession… Neal swung his sword and sliced the throat of one just before it was about to claw Belle. It was pandemonium. Villagers were running, screaming… some were fighting back. The dwarves were swinging their pickaxes. She didn't see David or Hook. She knew they had planned on scouting the surrounding area that morning. She hoped they hadn't been ambushed in the woods. Just as the thought crossed her mind, she saw the two of them emerge on the other side of the field, swords drawn.

She knew a moment of relief before one of the monkeys dove toward her… _The teeth. Oh my god, the teeth. She didn't remember teeth like _that_ from the movie. S_he twisted her body and swung her sword at the monkey, catching its wing as it approached. The scream it let out was so shrill Emma had to cover her ears. The monster didn't stop, though. As soon as it hit the ground, it was on her, its teeth bared and going for her throat.

Hook's heart was pounding. The moment he entered the clearing, his eyes immediately searched for Emma. When he saw her, his heart stopped. One of those vile creatures was attacking her, had her pinned to the ground, its teeth getting closer to her throat. She was struggling, holding it back with all of her strength. He took off at a run, his attention fixed solely on the blonde and her attacker.

Suddenly he felt a jerk and he was flying, feet dangling as he left the ground. One of the monkeys was carrying him. He swung his sword and cut off the leg that had a grip on his jacket. He landed on the ground hard, the wind knocked out of him. When he looked to Emma again she was only a few feet away, he saw that the monkey above her was dead. The small knife he had given her protruding from its neck. He breathed again. _Thank the gods._

When he reached her, he pushed the offending animal off her and helped her up. "Are you alright, Swan?"

"Yeah, I'm –" her eyes widened, "Behind you!"

He turned and swung his sword high, connecting with the attacker's taloned leg. They took up positions facing away from each other, both protecting the other's back. The fight raged on.

It seemed like they were winning but there were _so many._

Emma scanned the scene. She saw David take one down and several others fell at the hands (or arrows) of Robin and Mary Margaret. She raised her eyes straight above them and saw several of the monkeys circling high, not involved in the actual battle. They seemed to be looking for something. Their vests were a different color than the others, too, blue instead of orange. They must be commanders, or something.

She watched as one of the orange vested monkeys flew up, seemingly requesting instructions, then dove right at her. She raised her sword, ready to cut the thing in half when it got close, but instead of going for her, it went for Hook. She cut it down before it reached its target.

A high, piercing screech sounded from above; the noise reverberating through the air. Everyone, including the fighting monkeys, looked up. Then they all started to retreat, flying up to the commanders.

No… not retreating, _regrouping,_ Emma realized.

For some reason this scared her more than the battle. It wasn't just an attack. There was a plan… They were after something… or _someone_.

_Hook. They were after Hook. _

Emma grabbed his arm and started running for the castle. "Come on!" she screamed.

As they ran, David, Neal and Grumpy joined them. They had almost made it to the castle walls when one of the blue vested monkeys dove straight at them. As it did, several of the others took up positions on its flank.

"They're after Emma!" She heard Regina shout.

_But they weren't. _She felt rather than saw Hook step in front of her. David and Neal got behind her.

"No! They're not after me," she yelled and grabbed Hook's arm to pull him back…

Her hand lost its grip as he charged the first monkey.

"No!" she screamed again, the sound tearing from her throat. She tried to run after him but David grabbed her around the waist to pull her back. She struggled against his grip, "It's not me!" she yelled again, "they're after Hook."

As if to prove her point, the monkeys were suddenly on him and everyone's eyes followed. They all seemed to be stunned at this turn of events.

Emma was left with no choice… She elbowed her father in the stomach and wrenched herself from his grip. All she could see were monkeys and the occasional flash of black leather. She sped toward the creatures swinging her sword madly. She reached him just as the commander monkey lifted him into the air. His sword had fallen to the ground. They weren't trying to kill him, she realized, they were trying to _take him_.

_Hell fucking, no, _she thought and fought harder. She heard Hook scream in pain as the monkey's talons ripped into his shoulder, taking him higher off the ground. Emma grabbed his leg to pull him back down but the monkey was too strong. She felt her feet leave the ground, too, but before she got very far another hand grabbed her leg... Neal.

The weight of the three of them seemed to be enough to stop the ascent. Arrows were flying everywhere, the screeches from the animals rang in her ears. She kept her eyes on Hook's leg. Dropping her sword, she lifted her other hand to get a better grip.

Hook looked down at her, his eyes full of pain. The talons were ripping into his flesh… she could see the blood running off his fingers from under his jacket.

It was like playing tug of war - but Hook was the rope. Every time she tried to pull him down, he screamed out and every time the monkey flapped its wings to pull him higher, he yelled again.

The other monkeys were surrounding the three of them making it impossible for anyone else to shoot the monkey who had Hook in its clutches.

Another cry of pain wrenched from him as the monkey tried once again to pull him higher. Emma met his eyes… His face was pale, an agonizing look in his eyes.

"I'm NOT letting you go," she told him before he could say a word. She felt another set of hands on her leg, pulling her down toward the earth. David had managed to get past the wall of beasts. Between he and Neal, it seemed they had enough strength to bring them back to earth. Both of them were pulling with one hand and fighting with the other.

One of the monkeys rammed her in the stomach, and she felt her grip on Hook's leg slip. There was nothing she could do to defend herself, her sword lay useless on the ground beneath her right next to Hook's. After a moment's desperate struggle, she regained her grip and pulled down with all of her strength. Hook's heart-wrenching scream made her wince but the alternative was unacceptable. They _could not _have him.

Suddenly they were falling. A well-aimed arrow had made it through the throng and the blue vested monkey fell.

Once they were on the ground, she crawled toward Hook and covered him with her body, protecting him the only way she could. He wasn't moving, she realized. "Hook?" she gasped, taking his face in her hands. When he didn't reply, her blood ran cold. Frantically, she grabbed him by the lapels of his coat and tried to get him to sit up. His head lolled to the side as she did. Panic overtook her. The rest of the world faded to nothing.

"Hook!" she screamed. "Hook, open your eyes! Look at me!"

The monkeys were retreating; the loss of their commander scattering them but Emma didn't notice - her eyes were fixed on the pirate in front of her. Heart in her throat, she shook him, "Hook! Come on! OPEN YOUR EYES!" Her voice sounded desperate even to her own ears. She shook him again.

Emma laid Hook back down on the ground and started feeling for a heartbeat. She let out a sigh of relief. His heart was beating… but when she pulled her hand away it was covered in blood. She pushed her hand onto the wound, trying to stop the bleeding. _He was so pale._ There was so much blood...

Too much blood.

_No, _she thought, _no, no, no, no! You can't do this. You can't die on me. Don't… Don't do this… Don't leave me. Oh, God… you've got to wake up. Let me see those beautiful eyes. PLEASE, Hook._

She heard running footsteps and a hand was placed on her shoulder. She didn't even feel it. Her eyes remained fixed on his face. People were shouting… someone tried to pull her off of him. In her panicked state, she fought like a wild animal, trying to defend him from any threat. She felt her elbow connect with something hard and heard a grunt.

The yelling continued, and Emma was yelling, too (although she wasn't sure what she was actually saying), fighting against the strong arms that were around her, trying to get back to Hook's side.

Slowly, she realized that the monkeys were gone and she stopped struggling. She tried to make out the voices over the pounding in her ears but nothing seemed to register. She could only stare at Hook, lying so still. Then she couldn't see him as something… _no, someone, _blocked her view. She renewed her struggle, trying to get to him.

Someone smacked her across the face, _hard._ Tinkerbelle's face came into focus and, somehow, her voice broke through the pounding.

"Emma, stop! The attack is over. He's alive! Let Regina look at him."

Emma breathed a long breath, coming back to her senses and nodded, Tinkerbelle's words sinking in. As soon as the hands holding her released, she rushed back to the pirate and lifted his head gently into her lap. She watched as Regina waved her hand above his shoulder, a blue light emanating from the gaping wound.

Slowly, the skin began knitting itself back together. Emma watched, wide eyed, as the skin healed and the blood dissipated. When Regina lifted her hands, Emma looked at Hook expectantly, waiting for him to open his eyes.

"Hook?" she whispered, "Hook? You're going to be fine. You can wake up now." When he didn't stir, Emma looked back to Regina, "What's wrong? Why isn't he waking up?"

Regina sighed softly, "He lost a lot of blood. He needs rest…"

"He's going to be alright, though, isn't he?" The last words came out so broken that she wasn't sure if she'd actually said them.

Seeing the sheer terror on Emma's face, Regina reached across and placed a hand on her shoulder and replied, "He's strong, Emma, he should be fine."

_Should be? _

"We'll keep a close eye on him tonight," Regina continued.

"Come on, let's get him to a bed," David said.

Emma wanted to help but she realized that her body was shaking so violently that she couldn't. She couldn't even stand. Her knees felt like water. She felt strong arms pull her to her feet and realized that Neal had helped her up. Turning to look at him, she saw a bruise forming on his cheek. She wanted to ask if he was alright but the words wouldn't come. Her body was still shaking and she didn't trust herself to try to speak so she just allowed him to help her follow after Hook.

"Emma," Robin was suddenly in front of her, "Where is Roland?"

"He… and Henry… are hiding… in the blacksmith shop."

_God, could that really be her voice? It sounded so breathless, so weak. _Emma Swan was anything but weak.

Hook slept for almost twenty-four hours. It was the next afternoon when he finally opened his eyes. He surveyed the room to find Emma standing next to the window across the way, looking out at the sky. Her hand was rubbing the back of her neck, like she was deep in thought. He gazed at her for a moment, remembering the events from the day before.

_I'm NOT letting you go, _she'd said. Then he'd seen the monkey attack her and there was nothing he could do. He couldn't defend her and his heart had stuttered in his chest. She was hanging below him, defenseless, because of him. He closed his eyes as his heart sped up again at the memory. She had risked her life for him. He vaguely remembered hearing her call his name as he passed out… or maybe he had just dreamt it.

"Swan?" he said as he tried to sit up.

Emma's head whipped around from the window she had been looking out of. When her eyes met his, she smiled. "Hook…" she crossed the room to him. She wanted to run her fingers through his hair as she had several times while he slept but, with his eyes on her, she couldn't seem to do it. So, instead she asked, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm… still intact, I suppose," then with a raise of his eyebrow, "I am still intact, aren't I?"

Emma grinned, "Yes," she told him, taking a seat next to his hip.

"Well, then… I've had worse days. How long was I out?"

"About twenty four hours," Emma said and her smile faded as she stared into his eyes. Those beautiful eyes… She'd been afraid she'd never see them again. When she realized she was staring, she took his hand in both of hers and looked down at it. It was warm in her grip, the rings glinting in the sunlight coming in through the window. She wanted to tell him how worried she'd been… She wanted to give him… _something._ Emma drew a deep breath, "Hook, I…" she began but her throat was threatening to close. She swallowed past the lump, shook her head and simply said, "I'm glad you're okay."

It was not the proclamation she wanted to give him but it was the best she could do. _Coward, _she thought to herself. But if she tried to tell him about the fear that had ripped through her body when he… when he…

_God, she couldn't even think about it without tears stinging her eyes. There was no way she would be able to _tell_ him without breaking down._

When she lifted her eyes back to his, she saw the astonishment on his face. His fingers contracted almost painfully on hers. "Emma… it's alright, love. I'm fine. I'm-"

Just then, the door opened and Snow was backing in carrying a tray of food. "Emma, I'm not going to try to talk you into leaving again but – Oh… Hook, you're awake."

"Yes, it would seem so," Hook said with a grin.

"Good," Snow replied, "You gave us quite a scare."

"I feel fine now. A little hungry, I suppose, but otherwise no worse for the wear."

"Well, it's a good thing I brought enough for two," she said, placing the tray on the table. "You should both eat something. I'll go let everyone know that you're awake."

After the door shut behind Snow, Emma tried to get up to go get the food but Hook's grip tightened on her hand, preventing the movement.

"Have you been watching over me, Swan?" he asked quietly, willing her to meet his eyes again.

To his frustration, Emma avoided looking at him and just shrugged her shoulders. She still didn't trust her voice. She tried to rise again but the pirate was having none of that.

"Emma?" he whispered.

_God, she loved it when he said her name._ Tears were stinging the back of her eyes. She shook her head as if to clear it, careful to keep her gaze away from him. After a shuddering breath she managed, "Don't you _ever_ do that again."

"Do what, darling?"

"Don't you ever put yourself in front of me to protect me, ever again," her voice was shaking. With that, she wrenched from his grasp, stood up and walked over to the food. She placed both of her hands flat on the table and took a deep breath, collecting herself. Then, she picked up a plate and put some cheese and a bowl of stew on it.

Hook was silent. He could see that Emma was on edge. He wanted to press her but knew from past experience that she would only run faster if she was being chased. So instead of speaking, he studied her as she prepared a plate for him. She was still in the same clothes she had worn the day before. Her hair was a mess and there were smudges of dirt and blood on her arms and back. _Her blood? His blood? _He wasn't sure but, what he did know was that she had not even left his side long enough to change and clean up.

When she returned to him with his food and placed it on his lap, he met her eyes for a moment and said, "I'm sorry, love."

"Sorry? Sorry for what?"

"I'm sorry that I scared you," he said. Then, taking her hand again, he added, "And as you know, I will always endeavor to do what you ask of me but, I cannot in this case. Do you think there is any way that I could stand idly by while you are in danger?" His thumb was rubbing over her palm in a distracting way, "I don't mean to imply that you are anything less than capable but - the next time you are in danger, hell, every time you are in danger, I _will_ step in front of you. I _will not _let anyone or anything hurt you – not as long as I draw breath."

Emma stared at him, speechless. _What could she say? Did he know what the sound of his voice did to her? _She wished she was as clever with words as he was. She wished she could tell him how she felt but the words escaped her. So, instead, her gaze moved to his lips and she began to lean forward slowly.

Before their mouths could meet, the door opened again and David and Mary Margaret entered along with Regina, Robin, Neal and Belle.

Emma found herself very disappointed by the interruption.

Regina walked over to the bed to examine her patient and Emma stood up.

After waving her hand over Hook's head, blue light emanating softly from it. Hook felt some of his strength return as the light seemed to sink into him. Then, Regina straightened and said, "You'll be fine." She even managed to give him a small smile before she backed away.

"How are you feeling, Mate?" David asked.

"I've felt worse," he told them, averting his eyes, uncomfortable with all of the attention.

"What I want to know," Robin said, "is why those vile creatures were after him."

"What do you mean?" Hook asked.

"The monkeys, they targeted _you_," Neal told him.

"Me? No, surely you're mistaken. They have no reason to… They must have been after Emma."

"No," Regina said, "they weren't. They wanted you – and only you."

Hook looked astounded by this news.

"Speaking of which… Emma, how did you know they were going to go for Hook?" Mary Margaret asked.

Emma, who had still not left his side turned slightly to address the crowd. "I don't know for sure. Before they all regrouped, one was coming at the two of us but it skipped over me and tried to get him, so I just… put two and two together, I guess."

"Why would they want Hook?" Belle asked.

Regina rolled her eyes, "Well obviously, the pirate holds some key to defeating the witch. The question is… What is it?"

Everyone except Emma turned to Hook for the answer. "Don't look at me," he said after taking a moment to swallow the spoon of stew in his mouth, "I have nothing. Frankly, I would have thought that Regina would have been their target. The witch seems to have a particular aversion to her."

"She's trying to separate us," Emma said almost to herself. All eyes turned to look at her.

"Sorry?" Regina asked.

"She's trying to separate us," Emma said a little louder, "Think about it…" she looked to Regina, speaking directly to her, "Last week, Robin was ambushed… He barely got away. Now Hook… Either that crazy bitch is trying to build a harem or she's trying to separate us from…" Emma let the sentence linger.

Regina's quick intake of breath drew everyone's attention but she remained silent.

"From what?" Mary Margaret prompted.

Emma and Regina continued to stare at each other, neither offering up an answer; a look of understanding dawning on Regina's face.

Emma knew from a conversation she and Regina had the day before what the lion tattoo meant but Emma also knew that Regina hadn't told anyone else. Tink knew, of course, but that was it.

As they continued to stare at each other, Regina's eyes softened a bit, "So he's your – " she began.

"Does it matter?" Emma interrupted, effectively cutting her off, "But the witch must think so."

"The witch thinks _what?_" Mary Margaret asked.

They both ignored her again, Regina stepping closer to Emma, shaking her head as she said, "But how would she know about Robin?"

Tinkerbelle who had entered the room without being noticed answered, "She _was_ a fairy once, you know?"

Emma and Regina both spun to look at her, startled, then looked back at each other, alarm lighting both of their faces.

"What's going on?" Snow said, starting to sound a little irritated over this cryptic exchange. "Who is she trying to separate you from?"

Without taking her eyes off Emma, Regina answered flatly, "From our true loves."

Everyone was silent for a moment.

Before all hell broke loose.

Everyone seemed to be talking at once. Things like "What?!" "Wait a minute." "I knew it." "I don't understand." "Robin? Why Robin?" "Now it makes perfect sense."

Regina and Emma continued to look at each other. Both closed their eyes for a moment, not responding to the barrage of comments and questions. Emma was acutely aware that Hook hadn't said a word.

"Enough!" Tinkerbelle's voice rang out above the chaos.

Everyone turned to the green fairy, "I know you all have a lot of questions, but let's just calm down," she said, holding her hands up as if to silence them. "If what we're thinking is correct, then the answer to defeating her is in some way connected to true love. And, since she has now attempted to abduct two of you, it's a safe bet that she will try again."

Everyone thought about this for a moment before Snow interjected, "Regina, can you bottle true love? Gold once bottled it using a hair from David and I."

"I… I don't know how. There must have been an incantation or something that went along with it."

"I've got some of Rumple's spell books in my room," Belle said, "Perhaps the answer will be in one of them."

"Excellent," Tinkerbelle said, "Let's go get them. Neal, would you mind helping?"

Neal nodded and the three of them left. An eerie silence overtook the room once again. Charming, taking in both Regina's and Emma's stiff stances, turned to Snow and said, "We should, uh…"

"Yeah," Snow agreed, taking his cue, "We should go… check on… something."

With that, the two of them left quickly. Regina and Emma were still facing each other. Neither had dared to glance in the direction of the men. It seemed the silence would go on forever until Regina turned on her heel and headed toward the door giving Robin a wide berth.

She was stopped in her tracks when she heard Robin ask, "How long have you known?"

Regina stopped but didn't respond.

Emma felt sympathy for the queen. Emma knew that Regina hadn't wanted Robin to find out like this. Robin still looked at her like the Evil Queen at times… not quite trusting… even though they had been fighting side by side for the last few months.

"How long, Regina?" Robin asked again, his voice rising slightly.

Regina took a deep breath and raised her chin, still facing away from him, and replied, "Since the day we met."

Robin crossed the room to stand in front of the queen. Emma and Hook both turned away from the scene in front of them trying to give the two of them some privacy.

"When were you planning on telling me?"

"I wasn't," Regina said, crossing her arms in front of her chest, if she had one thing to cling to, it was her pride.

Robin watched her closely, trying to read her expression. "You could have told me. I may be a simple bandit but I know that True love is not something to be trifled with."

"When should I have told you?" Regina asked, taking a step back. "When we met and you had an arrow pointed at my head?" her voice began to rise, "When you saw me talking to Roland and swooped in to save him from the Evil Queen's nefarious clutches? When you…" she sounded nearly hysterical now and paused to take a deep breath. Refusing to look at him, she tried to make her way around him and out of the room but Robin caught her arm.

"How about when we you gave me the potion to save Little John? Or when I escorted you back to the castle after I found you in the woods collecting your herbs?" he asked her softly.

Regina slowly lifted her gaze to his. Robin's breath caught in his throat at the vulnerability he saw in her expression.

"You can't hold my first reactions toward you against me. I didn't know you then. I didn't know how you'd changed," he lifted a hand to her cheek, "Surely you know… You must know by now that I trust you with Roland. I trust you to fight beside me. Look at me, Regina… I _trust_ you."

And with that, he captured her lips in a sweet but searing kiss.

Hook watched the scene unfold before him. While Emma and Regina had their cryptic exchange, he'd held his breath. Though no one seemed to know it, he was very observant and he had noticed Regina's behavior around Robin. And, while he didn't know that Robin was her True Love, he had sensed that something was going on, so when it was revealed, he wasn't in the least surprised.

His attention, though, was focused on Emma. The stubborn woman wouldn't look at him. Her shoulders were stiff… which could mean several things… annoyance, fear, or embarrassment (just to name a few). If she would just bloody _look _at him, he would be able to tell. Then he would know what to say. He knew that saying the wrong thing right now could be disastrous. So, he waited, he watched, practically begging her to look at him with his thoughts…Until she did, he wasn't going to speak.

He waited patiently as Robin and Regina talked, his eyes focused on Emma's stiff back. She had turned toward the window again.

Belle entered the room again, carrying a book and talking excitedly, "I think I found it - " before her words were cut off at the scene before her. Regina and Robin broke apart almost guiltily and Regina mumbled something about taking the book to her room. Before she left, she turned to look at Emma but Emma was still looking out the window. Hook saw the queen start to say something and quickly change her mind, leaving without a word, followed closely by Robin and Belle.

Finally alone, Hook lifted the tray of food off his lap and set it on the table next to the bed. Emma still didn't move. Carefully, he swung his legs off the bed and stood, only now noticing that he was wearing some of David's clothes. He expected to feel weakness in his legs but was glad when he found that they were steady.

Slowly, he crossed the room to stand behind Emma.

His nerves were uncontrollable. He wanted to touch her but instead he waited again. This could very well be the most important moment of his life and if he said or did the wrong thing, it could send her running.

He watched as Emma drew a deep breath and started to turn. She kept her eyes trained on the floor and toed the ground with her foot. When her eyes finally raised to his, he saw nerves were plaguing her as well.

_Good,_ he thought. Nerves he could handle.

"Before you say anything," the blonde told him, "just remember that this True Love thing is only a theory."

Unfazed, Hook stepped forward and took her hand, "Perhaps it is - but it's _your _theory."

Emma smiled briefly, looking at their joined hands, "Yeah, it is."

Using his hook, he reached up and lifted her chin to look at him again. "I think it's an excellent theory," he said with a grin.

She smiled into his eyes and replied, "Yeah, it is."

If possible, Hook's grin got wider and, using his hooked arm, he pulled her into an embrace, leaning his forehead against hers. For a moment they simply enjoyed the feeling of being in each other's arms, breathing in each other's scents.

"I'll never leave you, Emma."

Emma was a little surprised by his words. She had expected him to tell her he loved her. But, then again, she knew she shouldn't be surprised. He knew her better than anyone. She should have known he would say the perfect thing. "I know," she said, and she wasn't surprised that she actually believed it.

Then he pressed his lips to hers gently, his hand tangled softly in her hair.


End file.
